Olympic Curling

Switzerland beat Canada 7-5 to earn a bronze medal in men's curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

A controlled performance throughout from the Swiss, led by skip Peter De Cruz, made life difficult for Canadian counterpart Kevin Koe and earned them their second win over Canada at the Games, having also beaten them in the round robin.

Canada had won gold in the men's event at the last three Olympics, and Koe becomes the first Canadian skip not to return with a medal of any colour.

Here is the live medal table:

Canada failed to take advantage of the hammer in the opening end, resulting in a blank.

In the second end, Koe couldn't quite dislodge Switzerland with his final stone, and they stole another single in the third to take a 2-0 lead.

The Canadian skip redeemed himself in the fourth end, though, as he sealed a double with a sublime angle raise, per CBC's Devin Heroux:

For anyone who wants to rail Koe for missing the draw last end.

See last shot.#cbccurl

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 23, 2018

Koe also made a brilliant shot in the fifth, per Sportsnet's Faizal Khamisa:

Koe’s going to try to hit a quad. Wake up your friends, it’s wild right now.

— Faizal Khamisa (@FaizalKhamisa) February 23, 2018

He got 3 out of 4 which, wow. https://t.co/nSTSL65cTt

— Faizal Khamisa (@FaizalKhamisa) February 23, 2018

Switzerland had the hammer in that end, though, and vice Benoit Schwarz capitalised with a laser-guided effort that secured another double and a 4-2 lead at the interval.

Canada pulled back a single in the sixth, and took a timeout in the seventh as they looked to deal with a tricky house, per CBC's Colleen Jones:

Timeout called here in 7th end as Koe preps for first shot. big decision.... pic.twitter.com/rZdF2aymwF

— ColleenJonescbc (@cbccolleenjones) February 23, 2018

It did little good, however, as Koe missed his shot on the way to allowing the Swiss another double.

Canada regained two in the eighth to reduce the deficit to 6-5, but a forced single in the ninth for Switzerland put them in a commanding position heading into the final end.

A blanked 10th sealed a deserved win for Switzerland, who finished the match with a higher percentage of successful draws and takeouts, per the Games' official website.

The USA will compete for a men's curling gold medal for the first time on Saturday. They will take on Sweden in the curling final after both teams won their semi-finals on Thursday at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

John Shuster's side edged past Canada 5-3 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, while Sweden thrashed Switzerland 9-3 in a much more one-sided affair.

Per CBC's Devin Heroux, the omens had looked good for the Canadians at the start of their match:

When Kevin Koe starts with hammer this year his record is 29 wins to just three losses.

Koe has hammer to start this game. #cbccurl @CBCOlympics

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 22, 2018

After a blanked end to open, a heavy hammer in the second from skip Kevin Koe ensured Canada only had a 1-0 lead early on.

The USA pulled level in the third, before Canada moved ahead once again, per CBC's Colleen Jones:

Koe facing 2 USA rocks, make the hit and stick for 1. 2-1 Canada after 4. Two’s are tough in this game.#cbccurl pic.twitter.com/hg6wPkp40f

— ColleenJonescbc (@cbccolleenjones) February 22, 2018

The Americans went for broke on a run back in the fifth as they had a chance of scoring four, but despite a superb throw from Shuster, they had to settle for one and a 2-2 scoreline at the halfway point.

It remained neck and neck until the eighth, when the USA stole a double after a rare mistake from Koe saw him come up well short.

Sports journalist Ted Wyman praised Shuster and his team:

John Shuster's USA team has played incredibly well in this game. Shuster himself up to 91%. This whole game it has looked like whoever was going to make the first mistake was going to lose. #TeamCanada blinked in the eighth. Can it rebound. #curling #Olympics

— Ted Wyman (@Ted_Wyman) February 22, 2018

Canada pulled one back in the ninth to ensure a tense finish, but Team USA controlled the 10th end well to secure a memorable win.

In the other semi-final, Sweden started as they meant to go on by picking up two in the first end.

It was the fourth end that proved crucial, though, as it allowed them to open a significant gap on Switzerland, per CurlingZone:

Four-score in four with Sweden's Niklas Edin taking a 6-1 lead over Switzerland in the Olympic Men's Curling Semifinal! #curling #Olympics https://t.co/c7EsDEFbJD pic.twitter.com/G7MjUZXD81

— CurlingZone (@CurlingZone) February 22, 2018

Per Scott Cacciola of the New York Times, it might as well have been game over at that point:

Meanwhile, Sweden -- the world No. 1 -- just took a 6-1 lead on Switzerland. Which is virtually insurmountable.

— Scott Cacciola (@ScottCacciola) February 22, 2018

After Sweden picked up another double in the sixth and a single in the seventh, Switzerland called time on the match ahead of the final two ends despite grabbing a single of their own in the eighth.

As the top-ranked team in the world, Sweden will be considered favourites for the gold medal, and as they demonstrated in their semi-final, they're in imperious form.

They beat the USA 10-4 in the round robin and will hope for a similar result on Saturday, but Shuster's team should not be discounted after their historic victory. At the least, it should be a closer contest.

Switzerland advanced to the semifinals of the men's curling event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, following a 9-5 win in a tiebreaker against Great Britain. 

Switzerland moves on to face Sweden, which went 7-2 during the round-robin stage. The Swiss may feel good about their chances after defeating Sweden 10-3 in their head-to-head meeting earlier in the tournament.

Heading into the ninth end, Great Britain appeared to be in a strong position. Team skip Kyle Smith broke the deadlock with the final stone of the eighth end to put Team GB ahead 5-4.

Switzerland responded by putting up five points in the ninth end. The Swiss were surgical with their placement of stones, navigating around the guard from Cameron Smith to open the end. 

Benoit Schwarz produced what's likely to be the shot of the tournament. BBC Sport showed how the house looked prior to when Schwarz was set to wrap up the end:

That is one full house!

The Swiss look to be in a good position here.

Watch on @BBCOne or here👇https://t.co/KUZJiAzBFO#Pyeongchang2018 #bbcolympics #lovecurling pic.twitter.com/ZYBq3uL4MX

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 22, 2018

Schwarz and his sweepers not only took out both of the Great Britain stones but managed to keep their stone on the board to secure Switzerland's fifth point. In addition, Schwarz and the sweepers had to guide the stone through two guards from the Smiths.

The victory represented vengeance for the Swiss, who fell to Great Britain 6-5 in the round robin when the two countries required an 11th end to determine a winner.

Switzerland is now just two matches away from earning its first podium finish in men's curling since the 2010 Winter Olympics. Since the event returned at the 1998 Olympics, the Swiss haven't gone more than eight years without a medal.

The Russian Curling Federation announced Wednesday that Alexander Krushelnitsky and Anastasia Bryzgalova will give back their bronze medals from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, after Krushelnitsky tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Russian news agency TASS (via Reuters) first reported the news. 

Krushelnitsky—who helped lead the Olympic Athletes from Russia to a bronze-medal win over Norway on Feb. 13 in mixed doubles—tested positive for endurance-enhancer meldonium. 

"The court would have made the decision to strip us of our medals anyway," Russian Curling Federation spokeswoman Valentina Parinova told TASS. "But since we really admit the fact that his doping probe was positive for meldonium, we hand back the medals."

In December, the International Olympic Committee banned Russia's Olympic team from participating in the Pyeongchang Games following an investigation into the country's widespread doping scandal. 

Those who qualified to make the trip have been competing under the Olympic flag and were designated as Olympic Athletes from Russia. 

Great Britain and Switzerland will play a tiebreaker on Thursday to determine who makes it into the final four of the men's curling competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics. 

Team GB had the chance to secure their spot with a win over the United States on Wednesday but were unable to get the job done, as they slumped to a heavy 10-4 loss. It means they face the Swiss in what is effectively a quarter-final showdown.

Elsewhere, in the women's competition Nina Roth's United States are out, as they fell to defeat against Sweden and missed the chance to secure a playoff berth. It means Japan progressed into the final four despite a loss to Switzerland.

Here are the results from Wednesday's action and a look back at what was a dramatic day at the Gangneung Curling Centre.

          

Men's Competition

Denmark 3-8 Canada

Great Britain 4-10 United States

Sweden 2-7 Norway

South Korea 10-4 Japan

         

Women's Competition

Sweden 9-6 United States

Switzerland 8-4 Japan

OAR 8-9 Canada

South Korea 9-3 Denmark

           

Semi-Final Schedule

Men: Canada vs. United States, Sweden vs. Great Britain/Switzerland

Women: South Korea vs. Japan, Sweden vs. Great Britain

      

For the results in full visit the Pyeongchang website.

              

Great Britain and Switzerland Set for Playoff

With Switzerland's matches already finished ahead of Wednesday's action, Great Britain knew their fate was in their own hands when they took to the ice against the United States.

However, they produced an sloppy performance, as a poor start allowed John Shuster and his team to put themselves in a dominant position. A four-point eighth end for the USA brought this one to an end, seeing them move up into third and into an automatic qualifying spot.

As noted by Trenni Kusnierek of NBC, given how poorly Shuster's squad started the tournament, they've done well to progress:

There’s a reason this team is the most resilient squad I’ve ever been a part of. @TeamUSA moves on to the medal round semifinals!!! And why wouldn’t we play Canada. You dream of this game as a kid growing up. Let’s hear it America!!! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ijUjq5FbMZ

— Tyler George (@tylertgeorge) February 21, 2018

Meanwhile, Team GB skip Kyle Smith admitted to BBC Sport everything went wrong for his team on the day.

"Sometimes it's just not your day," he said. "We struggled to create anything. We got a couple of fortunate steals, but we didn't make enough of the simple shots and gave away a few simple twos and threes."

Great Britain and Switzerland met in the first game of the round robin, with Smith's team getting the better of their opponents on that day. The winner will play leaders Sweden in the semi-finals.

The women's round-robin competition also came to an end on Wednesday, with Japan and the United States in contention for the final semi-final berth; the latter needed to beat Sweden and hope the former lost to Switzerland.

The United States Olympic team Twitter account was looking forward to a fascinating set of fixtures:

Is there anything better to do than watch @TeamRothUSA18 face off against Sweden?!

⏰: 6:05a ET
➡️: https://t.co/MYYA80JdhO pic.twitter.com/2KzQW0J5Ja

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 21, 2018

Initially things weren't looking good for the United States, as they trailed Sweden. However, with Japan losing to Switzerland, they were able to rally. As noted by SB Nation's Tim Murray, it started to get tense in the matches:

.@usacurl ties it up! 5-5 after 7 ends. Japan trails Switzerland 6-3 in the 6th end. @westwood1sports

— Tim Murray (@1TimMurray) February 21, 2018

Switzerland were eventually able to get the better of Japan, meaning a win for Roth's side would've left them in a Thursday playoff.

But they were unable to get the job done, as they needed a steal from the final end to move ahead of Japan. Eventually, Sweden took three to extend their advantage and set up a semi-final with Great Britain.

The United States men's curling team kept their hopes of securing a semi-final spot alive with an 8-4 defeat of Switzerland on Tuesday at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Japan also claimed a crucial win in their bid for a play-off spot, as they downed Denmark 6-4.

Meanwhile, Italy beat Norway 6-4 to complete their round-robin fixtures with a record of three victories and six defeats, which was not good enough to advance to the semi-finals.

Sweden are the side to have already booked their spot in the play-offs, as they lead the round-robin table having won seven and lost one.

Tied in second ahead of their final round-robin matches are Canada and Great Britain with 5-3 records, while Switzerland are now in a precarious fourth spot having completed their matches with five wins and four defeats.

Both Team USA and the Japanese outfit have 4-4 records after eight matches and were kept in contention by fine victories on Tuesday.

See the full standings and results here.

Switzerland took the first point of Tuesday's match against the U.S. in the second end but were immediately pegged back by John Shuster's team in the next frame.

Anther point for the Swiss put them 2-1 ahead after four ends, but it was the last time in the match they had the lead.

The U.S. took full advantage of having the hammer to score three points in the fifth end and then repeated the trick in the seventh to lead 7-3.

The Swiss outfit got one back for 7-4 only for the U.S. to respond in kind in the ninth end and force the end of the match.

They now face a must-win encounter against Team GB on Wednesday as they look to earn a play-off spot.

Japan's final match of the round-robin phase is against South Korea, and it could have huge significance after their defeat of Denmark.

Three points claimed by the Japanese in the third end gave them an early cushion on Tuesday, and they then scored two in the sixth frame for a 5-2 lead, which Denmark could never overhaul.   

South Korea continued their impressive form in the women's curling competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics on Tuesday with a 9-6 win over the United States.

The victory means the host nation have secured their position in the semi-finals of the competition, with skipper Kim EunJung steering her squad to six wins from their seven matches at the Games.

Elsewhere, there was a vital win for Great Britain, as they overcame an impressive Japan side to grab their fifth win of the competition. Canada, meanwhile, were upset by China in their match.

Here are the results from the Gangneung Curling Centre, as the round-robin section of the curling tournament moves closer to conclusion.

   

Tuesday Results

South Korea 9-6 United States

Canada 5-7 China

Great Britain 8-6 Japan

   

For the results and standings in full visit the Pyeongchang website.

   

South Korea Secure Semis Spot

The South Koreans have been the dominant force in the round-robin competition so far, with their only loss coming against Japan in Pyeongchang.

The consistency the team has showcased has been impressive in the main, though, and as a result, they were the heavy favourites going into their showdown with the United States on Tuesday.

There were some moments in this one when the contest was tight, as Nina Roth's USA squad did keep in touch with their rivals. But the hosts were smart in the way they played late on and a blanked final end eventually saw them to victory.

Jonathan Cheng of the Wall Street Journal suggested after the match that South Korea are the favourites for gold:

And that's a wrap! High fives and handshakes all around as S. Korea's women's curling team vanquishes the U.S. 9-6 to bring its record to 6-1. By comparison, the once-dominant Canadians are 3-4 after falling to China. S. Korea is suddenly the country to beat here in Pyeongchang. pic.twitter.com/l9A5dqavwl

— Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) February 20, 2018

Japan have also been expected to feature in the medal shake-up, although they were dealt a setback on Tuesday by an improving Great Britain team.

After beating Switzerland in an extra end on Monday, there was an assurance from Eve Muirhead's side, as they remained composed despite Japan taking an early lead. Three points in the sixth end was vital for Team GB, as was a steal in the ninth to go 8-5 up.

Team GB's Anna Sloan was pleased with the performance of the team in their penultimate match of the group stage:

💪🏼 one game left in the round robin! Great work from the team this morning. 👏🏼#pyeongchang2018 #curling #lovecurling #winterolympics https://t.co/Eb8xoRIqeD

— Anna (@annasloan1) February 20, 2018

It's a win that leaves Great Britain in a strong position to qualify, and they know they can guarantee their position in the final four if they beat Canada on Wednesday.

The Canadians, meanwhile, must win if they're to stand any chance of making it through. Danny Austin of the Calgary Sun believes that's going to be a tough ask:

Having to beat Eve Muirhead to make the playoffs is going to be a nightmare for Homan & the crew

— Danny Austin (@DannyAustin_9) February 20, 2018

Indeed, the defending champions have been a long way short of their best at these Olympics and would've been hopeful of notching against China. But Rachel Homan and her team were unable to rescue the match after falling behind.

It makes the equation simple for Canada, who have two matches still to play; they need to beat Great Britain and the Olympic Athletes from Russia if they're going to stand a chance of defending their title. A big upturn in form is needed if they're to do so based on their displays so far. 

The men's curling round-robin tournament featured several intriguing matchups on Monday evening, as teams continue to vie for a place in the semifinals and a chance to play for a medal.

Below, we'll break down the evening's action.

All dates and times United States Eastern. All stats via Olympic.org.

           

Great Britain Defeats Norway, 10-3

Great Britain's solid showing at the Pyeongchang Games continued on Monday night with a 10-3 dismantling of Norway.

The British started strongly, pushing across three points in the first end and another in the fourth. Norway cut the deficit in half in the third end, but the British scored two in the fourth and three in the sixth to put the matchup out of reach for the Norwegians.

The victory moved the British to 5-3 for the tournament, while Norway dropped to 3-4. Great Britain will wrap up its round robin on Wednesday morning against the United States. Norway will next face Italy on Tuesday morning.

            

Sweden Defeats Italy, 7-3

Sweden continued its dominance in Pyeongchang, moving to 7-1 on the tournament with a 7-3 win over Italy.

Sweden put things all but away within the first three ends, roaring to a 5-0 lead. Italy battled back with a run in each of the fourth and fifth ends but never got closer than that.

The Swedes will finish their round robin with a matchup against Norway on early Wednesday, having already clinched a spot in the semifinals. Italy, at 2-6, is already out of medal contention.

     

Canada Defeats Japan, 8-4

Canada moved into excellent position to reach the semifinals with an 8-4 win over Japan on Monday evening.

The Canadiens led just 3-2 after three ends but pulled away from there, pushing across a point in the fourth and two points in the sixth to grab control of the match, which moved Japan to 3-4 and left its chances of advancing to the semifinals in serious doubt.

Canada next faces Denmark on Wednesday, while Japan is in action next against Denmark on Tuesday.

     

South Korea Defeats Switzerland, 8-7

Switzerland had been red-hot with wins over Sweden and Canada, but the team took a step back Monday with its loss to South Korea.

Each team finished with an 83 percent success rate on its shots, although South Korea gained a big advantage with a four-point end in the third following a mistake from Swiss fourth Benoit Schwarz. Although the vice skip helped regain the lead with a three-point steal in the fifth, it all came down to the final end.

The hosts came through in the 10th end, scoring one point for the narrow victory.

Despite the disappointment, a win over the United States in its final match should be enough for Switzerland to reach the semifinals. South Korea has already been eliminated but will close things out against Japan on Wednesday.

There were plenty of upsets on offer during Monday's curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics, as tournament favourites Sweden and Canada both suffered shock defeats in the men's draw.

The previously unbeaten Swedes took a beating from Switzerland, while the United States beat their rivals from the north after an extra end.

The Canadian women continued their resurgence with a win over Japan, their third straight after starting with three losses.

Here's a look at Monday's results.

Women Round Robin Session 8

USA 7-6 Denmark

Japan 3-8 Canada

Sweden 6-7 Korea

OAR 2-11 Switzerland

Men's Round Robin Session 9

Italy 6-8 Korea

Sweden 3-10 Switzerland

USA 9-7 Canada

GBR 7-6 Denmark

Women's Round Robin Session 9

GBR 8-7 Switzerland

Denmark 7-8 OAR

China 4-10 USA

Japan 5-4 Sweden

      

Recap

Canada's up-and-down run through the curling events continued on Monday, as CBC's Devin Heroux put it:

Well, Canadian curling has been something else at these #Olympics:

Writing about a resurgent Homan team after three wins and a somewhat reeling Koe team after three losses.

“We better get two wins or we’ll be out of here fast” says Hebert. #cbccurl

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 19, 2018

The men's team started the tournament in excellent form, but they suffered yet another defeat on Monday, dropping a thriller to old rivals USA.

It was a third straight defeat for Kevin Koe and his team-mates, as well as the country's first-ever Olympic loss against the United States.

Canada were in deep trouble after nine ends, down by two, and shortly after completing an excellent comeback and extending the contest in the 10th, the side came down hard in the 11th.

A take-out for two from skip John Shuster gave the Americans their third win of the tournament and put Canada in a tough situation.

With four wins and three losses, Koe and company control their own destiny, and a spot in the play-offs still seems likely. But they've already lost head-to-heads against the Swedes and Swiss, who seem far more likely to triumph again in an elimination contest.

Switzerland in particular are catching fire at the right time, evidenced by their massive win over Sweden. Skip Niklas Edin and his troops came into the match unbeaten, but they fell behind early and took a beating in the seventh end, with five scored against them.

In the women's draw, Canada were only in action in Session 8, recording a simple win over Japan. Rachel Homan was far from her best, but her team-mates picked up the slack and took full advantage of Satsuki Fujisawa's mistakes.  

The United States women's curling team captured a crucial win in round-robin play Monday morning (Sunday night in the United States) as it topped Denmark, 7-6, at the Gangneung Curling Center in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 

The U.S. is now 3-3 and firmly in contention to qualify for the knockout stage. 

Elsewhere, Canada continued its surge with a third straight win following an 0-3 start to the tournament. 

Here's a rundown of the day's results, as well as the updated standings through eight sessions. 

               

Session 8 Results

• United States of America def. Denmark, 7-6
• Canada def. Japan, 8-3
• South Korea def. Sweden, 7-6
• Switzerland def. Olympic Athletes from Russia, 11-2

            

Updated Standings (top four teams advance to semifinals after round robin) 

• 1. South Korea (5-1)
• 1. Sweden (5-1)
• 3. Japan (4-2)
• 4. Canada (3-3)
• 4. People's Republic of China (3-3)
• 4. Great Britain (3-3)
• 4. United States (3-3)
• 8. Switzerland (2-4)
• 9. Denmark (1-5)
• 9. Olympic Athletes from Russia (1-5)

The Americans don't have much margin for error moving forward since there's a logjam atop the standings, but they will have a chance to create a bit of separation versus the People's Republic of China later Monday when Session 9 gets underway. 

The Canadians, meanwhile, kept their semifinal chances afloat with a dominant performance versus Japan that lasted just seven ends. 

Canada is now 3-3 by virtue of the win and has not lost since the team held a closed-door meeting to address uncharacteristic early struggles. 

"There's nothing you can do about the way you start but you can do something about the way you finish," Emma Miskew said of the team's newfound approach, according to the National Post's Ted Wyman. 

"We just said 'Let's go out there and fight.' If it works for us then great and if not, at least we know we gave it our all."

Having suddenly caught fire, Canada will look to move one game above .500 in the table Tuesday in Pyeongchang when it squares off against the People's Republic of China. 

Elsewhere, Sweden suffered its first loss of round-robin play and is now deadlocked with South Korea at 5-1 through six tilts. 

Like the United States, Sweden will return to the ice for Session 9 as it attempts to avenge the defeat against Japan. 

The other two Session 9 showdowns will pit Great Britain against Switzerland and Denmark versus the Olympic Athletes from Russia.